A man is lured abroad by the promise of a good job, only to find out he was lied to. In the 22 years of captivity that follow, he is beaten, chained and starved as he slaves to catch fish that then enter the global supply chain, winding up on grocery store shelves and dinner tables around the world.

It sounds fanciful. It’s not. It happened, and the man, Myint Naing, was freed last year.

In 1993, at the age of 18, Naing was lured from his native Burma and sold into Thailand’s notorious fishing industry, which a multi-year Associated Press investigation has revealed is rife with human slavery. Naing is just one of over 2,000 modern-day slaves who have been freed as a result of AP’s work.

Beyond exposing the horrific conditions endured by those who, like Naing, find themselves enslaved to a corrupt and illegal industry, the AP investigation exposed how easily products fished by slaves, in particular shrimp and fish-feed, enter the global market. The world’s largest food company, Nestlé, commissioned its own study and confirmed in November 2015 that forced labour, trafficking and child labour could be traced to some of its products (the company’s response is here). Walmart and Costco also have been implicated, as have Red Lobster and Olive Garden.

Two of the companies the AP linked to human slavery and fishing, Kongphop Frozen Foods and The Siam Union Frozen Foods, sell to Canada. Knowing this – that fish and seafood products in Canada likely have been caught by human slaves – the question remains: What are we going to do about it?

For answers, we can look to recent legislation enacted in the U.S. and U.K. These new laws offer guidance and a practical path forward to end Canadian complicity in modern-day slavery.

Transparency requirements will only adversely affect those Canadian companies which refuse to take steps to combat human slavery and child labour in their supply chains.

Last week, President Barack Obama signed the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act into law. The Act amends a previous law that permitted companies to import goods made by slaves into the U.S. if it was necessary to meet domestic demand. With the loophole now closed, the U.S. can end the import of a number of goods, including fish and shrimp from Thailand, that the U.S. Department of Labor says are connected to child and forced labor.

In the U.K., the Modern Slavery Act 2015 entered into force last October. The law imposes transparency and due-diligence obligations on companies to publicize steps they have taken to ensure that their businesses and supply chain are free from human slavery and trafficking. If a company has not taken any steps, it must say so. Any company doing business in the U.K. with a minimum global turnover of £36 million (around $67.5 million CAD) must publish a Transparency Statement. Companies with questionable supply chains now face growing pressure from activists and consumers to address those challenges or defend their lack of action.

The Canadian government should follow the U.K.’s lead.

Prohibiting the import of goods connected to human slavery would have several positive effects. There is the immediate impact of proclaiming and reaffirming Canada’s abhorrence of slavery and commitment to seeing it eradicated. An import ban also would reassure Canadian consumers that the shrimp they eat wasn’t fished or peeled by a slave like Naing. Last, it also increases pressure on Thai officials and companies to address slave labour and human trafficking for fear of being shut out of a global market.

Following the UK’s lead, the government should also require Canadian companies to take proactive steps to ensure their supply chains are free of slave labour. A 2015 World Vision study confirmed that 87 per cent of Canadians support transparency requirements as a means to combat labour and trafficking issues. Such an approach signals an appreciation for the crucial role businesses and consumers can and must play in ending human slavery.

Just as an import ban hurts producers and distributors connected to slavery, transparency requirements will only adversely affect those Canadian companies which refuse to take steps to combat human slavery and child labour in their supply chains.

When Naing returned to his Burmese village after 22 years, he, his sister and his mother wept with joy. It was a reunion none of them ever expected, and one that our growing appetite for fish and seafood almost prevented. The time has come for our elected officials, our corporations and all of us to change that.

Josh Scheinert is an international investment and human rights lawyer in Toronto.

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